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Tag: Snacks

As life seems to be coming back to normal, I feel relieved and happy to pick-up my quirky habits…morning Sunday tartines being one of them. We went to the farmers market yesterday and I’m thrilled to report spring is finally here! We were already stumbling under the weight of tons of greens and fresh veggies & fruits, when I spotted something peculiar: the golden turnip. I’ve been devouring purple turnips the whole winter long, but never the golden ones: something needed to be done! I bought the above-mentioned turnips, headed back home and start planning the next dish in my head. Truth be told, turnips are amazing both cooked and raw, but this time, I decided to go for my favorite way of eating turnips: cooked in butter (really, how expected is this?). Here’s how to achieve turnip perfection and start your day with a mouthwatering sandwich. Read More

My grandma grew up in a rather bourgoise family, with all that entails. She had a private tutor for everything that was must-have skills for a young lady, from good manners to navigating her way in the kitchen with grace. She was a fabulous baker and she loved it! Growing up, I was fascinated by the entire alchimistic process: perched upon a kitchen stool, I was fiercely following her every move. She used to make the most grandiose cakes, cookies, biscuits, pies, crumbles, fruit dumplings that everyone in the family loved and enjoyed. Except me. I never had a sweet tooth, not even as a child. So in a grand gesture of love, once the cake was in the oven, she used to look at me and give me a playful smile. I knew I was saved, it meant it was time to make grissini! How can I describe these to you? She was gravitating more towards French cooking (so much in style when she was growing up) rather than classic Italian, so the consistency of the grissini was rather flaky, layered, buttery, a bit crispy, almost like a classic French dough with more weight and crunchiness. She always kept true to a simple topping: white, feta-like cheese and cumin seeds. Years later I realized it was, of course, Sanda’s classic recipe, with an unexpected twist. She made it look so simple, easy-peasy, that somehow, I always thought making grissini take 15 minutes on the clock. Lured in by this (fake) memory, I embarked on the adventure, but little did I know. Truth be told, I am not a great baker when it come to sweets, but this was different, right? In the end, all turned well and I feel that I, somehow, conquered this milestone, too. So roll up your sleeves, boys and girls, today we’re making grissini! Read More

After the Taste of Brussels event yesterday (more to come on that soon), I just felt the need to come back to reality, where us, mere-mortals still enjoy the pleasure of the flesh, with impunity. What better place to surround myself with beautiful pieces of pork, veal, beef, ham, sausages & co. than my lovely butcher, M. Gaston? My week-end shopping list included 200gr préparé and a 800gr roti de porc/ pork shoulder (a wonderfully-fatty piece, now marinating in olive oil, smoked paprika, fresh rosemary & crushed garlic). To my surprise, something caught my eye: next to the tête préssée, a bit lonely and distinct: the pork’s tongue ham. I immediately asked M. Didier about it and he confirmed, then I proceeded to tell him about my love affair with pig’s tongue (while my man was telling him about pigs slaughtering in Romania). We ate the fresh préparé yesterday and I saved the best for last.

If you’ve been here before, you are probably familiar with my week-end tartine ritual. And my love of raw meet. Pictured above (in very bad lighting, but have you looked outside? We live in Belgium!!!) is raw meat at its best. I only swear by meat bought from my lovely butcher, M. Gaston, all his products are amazing and fresh and delicious…OK, OK, I stop here. This time, my man went for filet américain nature and I opted for rosbif. We collected these goodies and fantasized about the tartines-to-come on our way home. Back in the kitchen, my man started opening a bottle of wine (yes, it’s OK to drink wine before lunch…we’re Eastern Europeans, after all!) and I was getting busy on the assembly line. Read More

My love affair with tartines continues. Here’s the latest one, from this morning: dark bread, avocado, olive oil, salt & pepper, one cherry tomato, some pepper that was dying in the fridge and some of my beautiful home-grown ruccola. Simple, delicious and incidentally, very healthy. Enjoy the week-end!

I’m a major snacker and I’m not afraid to show it! Usually people mention they love snacking with a guilty look in their eyes and somehow excusing themselves for such blasphemy. Snacks are evil, that’s a no-brainer, right? Well…not quite! Read More